March has come in like a lion … and I don’t mean the weather. SBA (Smarter Balanced Assessment) time is upon us and the lion is breathing, somewhat uncomfortably, down the back of my neck.For me, this began last year at the end of June, when teams of teachers at all levels in my district met for 1 week of full work days to design performance based assessments to be used in classrooms this year. Our goal in the high school ELA group was to create standards-aligned tasks that would provide a SBAC-like experience. We began the year with these tasks and in December we shifted our focus to the SBA Interim Assessment options . It was decided our students would complete the Smarter Balanced Interim Comprehensive Assessment (ICA) for ELA, completing a Computer Adaptive Test (CAT) section as well as a Classroom Activity (CA) followed by a Performance Task (PT) section.As with any change, there were grumblings. However, we knew students needed this exposure and to be honest, we wanted to see what this process and test were going to look like. Our English department administered the ICA in February: lessons were learned and reflection has followed.

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I have a confession. I’m a poser. Members of my English department see me as a Common Core expert. “Nathan, you have been to multiple district Common Core trainings, you’re aligning your lesson plans to the standards, you even blog about the Common Core, surely, you must be an expert.” It’s a flattering compliment. I never claimed to be an expert, but a novice at least. Well the truth is I am neither, just a lowly (gulp), Common Core expert poser.Last month I attended a professional development sponsored by the Washington Education Association (WEA) with my PSTL colleagues Maren Johnson, Lindsey Stevens, Kelly Pruitt, and other educators across the state. For two days and sixteen intensive hours of training, we were vetted to see if we could hack it as Math or ELA Common Core trainers. I came into the training feeling confident that I knew the basics of the Literacy standards fairly well. I was wrong.READ THE FULL BLOG AT PUGET SOUND ESD's CORElaborate Website by clicking here.

“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” -- Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

Last year we began the year at my school teaching the Washington State Standards. Then, in late fall, we received word that our district would be part of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) field test. At that point, we dropped the WA EALRs and switched to Common Core State Standards. It was not easy. We didn’t have CCSS aligned materials, we had to search them out and create our own. We started learning everything we could about the SBAC field test so we could prepare our students and not have them go into it completely blind. At times, it felt like a storm. In the midst of our first full year with CCSS and quickly approaching the Smarter Balanced Assessment (the “C” has been dropped, read this post for more on SBA acronyms) window, it can feel still like a storm. However, I refuse to be afraid. We’re all in this together, and we’re going to make it through.My personal philosophy, and hope, is that if I use the Common Core State Standardsto drive my instruction, that my students will be college and career ready (after completing a few more years of school anyway), and ready for the SBA. However, the SBA is new, it’s different, and I’m grateful that we had last year to prepare. We knew we wouldn’t be getting scores back from the field test. We have no data to show whether the strategies we used were successful based on SBA results. What I do know is that our preparations as a staff helped our students feel prepared. And, after the end of a lengthy testing period my students walked away from the tests feeling confident. They were not defeated. They were not scared. They did not feel like they were in the midst of a storm, and they do not view the approaching SBA as something to worry about. So, even without data, I know we were successful. Here are six things I learned last year that I hope you will find helpful in navigating through the storm.

READ THE FULL BLOG AT PUGET SOUND ESD's CORElaborate Website by clicking here.

By Amy AbramsNorthwood Middle School (Kent, Wash.)2014 Puget Sound Region Teacher of the Year

The mantra of Seahawks and Super Bowl champion quarterback Russell Wilson last season was simple and always the same: “Why not us?” He lived it, breathed it, made his teammates believers, and did the work necessary to achieve his goal. Mind you that Wilson, a third-round draft pick, faced many obstacles. Being a short quarterback, he was told by most he wouldn't succeed in the NFL. His ability was doubted. But, it was a good thing for Seattle that John Schneider and Pete Carroll had the foresight to see beyond the critics and obstacles. Wilson made believers out of all of us and taught us that obstacles are opportunities. Maybe, in regard to education, we should strive to adopt a similar mindset. Common Core essentially poses the same question as Russell Wilson's phrase, “Why not us?” Every NFL team has the same goal, regardless of zip code or fan base: they want to win, win some more, and earn a spot in the Super Bowl. Coaches will use a variety of methods, drills and philosophies to accomplish this objective. Their techniques and styles may be different (just look at the 49ers' Jim Harbaugh in comparison to Pete Carroll), but their end goal is the same: victory! Education is similar. Our “victory” is students graduating from high school ready for college and life.

The new standards will help level the playing field to make that happen. Whether you live in Manhattan, NY or Yakima, the expectations are identical. It’s the way teachers reinforce the standards that’s different. For example, Reading Literature Standard Two asks 8th graders to discover themes and their development throughout a text. Teachers in Manhattan may use "Kidnapped" by Stevenson as a model text, while teachers from Yakima may use Hinton’s "The Outsiders." The students reading "Kidnapped" will discover themes of loyalty, friendship, and diversity of ethics. Those reading "The Outsiders" will discover themes regarding the impact of social class and what it means to be an outsider. Some teachers will be like the 49ers coach Harbaugh and others the Seahawks' Carroll, and that’s OK. Teachers still have the freedom to choose what they’ll teach and how they’ll teach it; it’s the standard being reinforced that is the same.

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